Yatima said:
The 5x15 theory is such a paradigm; it might prove right or wrong....We will see.
5x14-theory, please.
True, it's a change of the earlier paradigm, which said precisely: "The Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo-Tarocchi gives reason for Tarot research to assume, that there had been a complete 78 cards before the Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo-Tarocchi".
But a more precise look at all known documents, in which the word "trionfi" gave the result, that there is nothing (before the Boiardo deck - and that's late) than mere suggestion, which justifies this interpretation. If I'm wrong with this statement, please tell me of a document, which justifies it. The Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo-Tarocchi itself can be interpreted as a 5x14-deck. This is justified by:
1. the note of Ferrara 1457: "70 cards"
2. the note from Ferrara 1441: "14 Figure"
3. the note in the Marcello-letter 1449, who has no problem to identify the strange Michelino-deck as a "ludus triumphorum", which confronts the alternative paradigm (22 trumps at begin) with the fact, that the use of the word Trionfi could be applied to such a strange deck.
etc.
see:
http://trionfi.com/0/f/
Well, we'll see ... what? Will we see, that suddenly the Ur-Tarot jumps out of the corner of a hidden castle somewhere in Italy or that the secret door behind a Nothelfer-tryptychon opens and throws out hundred of card decks with Rochus turning to be the Fool since any Tarot-beginning, telling that the Black Death was not a nice phase during human develoment?
Research can only state the actual level of knowledge - and if the researchers are clever, they try their best to create a platform, where all this knowledge is reachable to anybody, as this gives the best chances to collect until now unknown data, which refines the picture.
In a same way it is allowed to develop projections, which considers all until now known data and treat them more or less free of contradiction - and that's the 5x14-theory: a rather solid projection - if you know of a real contradiction, anybody is ready to hear about it.
A projection serves the intention to get advice for the next steps of research, as it is simply clear: we do NOT know all, what is retrievable out of given sources. The 5-14-theory gives the advice: if you research for the 22-Tarot, then research "after 1457". Also it gives the advice: if you research for the earlier Tarot-decks (before 1457), search for decks with a fifth suit, or research for models with 14 or 16 elements.
The Nothelfer-group has 14 elements, that's good, but the iconographical jump is too big and the group is not from Italy. Beside of that the 14 motifs are not a riddle - there is already a lot of material gathered and the examination tells us, that all this special figures were known earlier. Only few details are really a riddle: What instrument is the 5th symbol on the table of the magician? What means the knight in the background of Iustitia? And some others, but the possible answesr will only refine our knowledge about the details, they will not change the world.
Nobody minds a research about Nothelfer - surely an interesting theme. Actually we've thought of a general research and representation of all Tarot-similar-systems of the European 14th century at Trionfi.com. Astrology, geomancy, surviving neoplatonic schemes, chess-iconography, calendars, other religious systems. Would be a nice catolog. But we do not expect the answer to the system of Tarot in this collection.
To seek for other possibilities because of putting facts together differntly, is another approch; e.g. seeking the connection to the Black Death, which is not far fetched from all the facts we have got; e.g., seeking for pre-Tarot-series of talismans; e.g. seeking the Dominican game, roppo named, e.g., seeking for educational references etc.
You might not be inclined to do so because you have found the paradigma that works for you; I might be inclined to seek further for a paradigm that satisfies my sense for the history of the Tarot...
Yatima
Well ... as I've said, we've an interest in this catalog. We're not negative about it.